The Real Deal Miami

Fort Lauderdale Beach mixed-use project proposed with 16 apartments

Shekar Reddy and renderings of 3001 North Ocean Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale

A seven-story mixed-use tower proposed for North Fort Lauderdale Beach will soon head to the city’s development review committee.

The proposal, submitted by Shekar and Shylaja Reddy, is for a 16-unit multifamily project anchored by ground floor retail space and an enclosed parking garage at 3001 North Ocean Boulevard. The Reddys own the local Discount Liquors chain of spirits stores, with locations in Wilton Manors, Hollywood and Pompano Beach.

The apartments planned for the Fort Lauderdale Beach building would range from 1,524 square feet to 2,636 square feet, with terraces from 365 square feet to 943 square feet. Fourteen units are planned as two-bedrooms, with the two penthouse units each adding a third bedroom. The 13,332-square-foot second story includes two residences, a fitness center and a 6,124-square-foot pool deck with terraces and a cabana accessible by a walk-through gallery. The floor sizes are dramatically reduced from the third story through the seventh story to preserve the neighbor’s existing views and avoid casting shadows on the neighboring pool areas, according to the proposal.

A total of 31,207 square feet of the project, designed by Fort Lauderdale’s Nest Plans Inc., are earmarked for apartments, with 2,883 square feet devoted to the ground floor retail space.

The property is part of a Community Business (CB) zoning district, with a commercial land use designation. It will need to gain approval from the Fort Lauderdale Planning and Zoning Board to be approved for residential building.

The 94-foot building reaches less than two-thirds of the way to its allowable height under the city code, and the proposal suggests the placement of trees along North Ocean Boulevard to improve the surrounding area. Given the site’s gross acreage of 0.6411 acres, the 16 units are the maximum that can be requested under the city’s Unified Land Development Regulations, which allow for up to 25 units to be allocated per gross acre in CB districts.